Largest CX race in the world?

[tjf9]

...or so I'm told. I raced Portland's Cross Crusade #1 this weekend, my 4th cx race ever. There were over 1400 racers, more than 250 of whom were women. I decided to move from Beginner class to Master Bs, because I got to start with 30 women instead of 92.

I took a few minutes to pre-ride the course before my race (highly recommended) which meant I started near the back of the group (not recommended). I got a little lucky and found a good line around much of the group and got into the top 10. After 45 minutes of gaining and losing position, I ended up 12th. The course was a mix of single-ish track, wide grassy areas, one steeeep run up, a couple barrier sections, a set of concrete stairs and a velodrome. Very twisty - managed to fit 2.1 miles of course into a very small area. It was a fantastic day - not raining, not too cold - and I managed not to fall.

I can't wait for next weekend!

[gnat23]

Awesome work! I just found this picture gallery and it makes me really wish I coulda been up there, too!

http://www.pdxcross.com/galleries/cr...penrose-dairy/

-- gnat!

[tjf9]

Thanks for sharing that site. Great pics. I wish they would have taken a shot of the parking lot - it was insane!